Britain will host leaders from the Western Balkans and European officials for the Berlin Process Summit in autumn 2025, in a bid to boost regional stability and tackle irregular migration along key transit routes, the UK government said on Wednesday.
The summit will focus on bolstering security, economic cooperation, and addressing the growing role of the Balkans as a migration corridor into Europe. The UK is intensifying efforts to disrupt human trafficking networks and tighten border controls as part of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s “Plan for Change.”
Dame Karen Pierce, one of Britain’s most senior diplomats, has been appointed as the UK’s Special Envoy to the Western Balkans. She will lead preparations for the summit and drive the UK’s strategic objectives in the region.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the Western Balkans remained a priority for the UK, describing the summit as a commitment to European security and cooperation.
“The Western Balkans is of long-standing importance to the UK, and our partnerships in the region are central to our efforts to tackle irregular migration and crack down on the criminal gangs profiting from human misery,” Lammy said.
Britain has already signed agreements with North Macedonia, Serbia, and Kosovo to strengthen cooperation on organised immigration crime. The UK’s Border Security Command is expanding partnerships across Europe to address irregular migration at its source.
The summit underscores Britain’s efforts to reset relations with Europe following Brexit. It follows a recent meeting between Prime Minister Starmer and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, as well as Lammy’s visit to Tunisia to support projects aimed at reducing migration drivers.
The UK is also developing a first-of-its-kind sanctions regime targeting human smugglers, aiming to disrupt their financial networks and operations.
Pierce, a former UK ambassador to the United States and the United Nations, will take up her role in spring, replacing Air Chief Marshal Lord Peach.
With tensions rising in the Western Balkans, exacerbated by Russian influence and organised crime, the region remains a critical security concern for both Britain and its NATO allies.
